Scouting Report: D.J. Moore, WR

While WR may not be the biggest need, it might be hard to pass on a talent like Moore if he is available at 31.

NEPD Staff Contributor: Jeff Fidler

Background

From Philadelphia

Went to Imhotep Charter HS

Top 5 in the Maryland record books in several categories

Strengths

Thick, compact build at 6’/210. Very good H/W/S.

Versatility – Can play & win inside/out, beat you underneath, deep & line up all over the place. Including taking h/o’s out of the backfield. Started returning punts. Wins with quick feet, toughness, hands & r/r.

Toughness, Elusiveness & Short Area Quicks – Turns into a RB when he gets the ball. Will cut & juke around defenders & run through arm tackles. Good acceleration. Usually makes 1st guy miss if not two. Won’t go down easy, have to wrap up. He’ll catch through contact. Doesn’t mind taking a hit & will prepare himself for it. Will lay out & put his body at risk. At times can go up & get the 50/50 ball & make a big play, almost 40 inch Vert. Takes a beating & comes back for more.

Has been very productive w/ a “merry-go-round” of different QB’S.

Route Running – Wasn’t asked to run the most extensive route tree but I’m inclined to think that had more to do Maryland QB’S & Offense than him. Showed some nuance bending & shifting into the DB to create space in route, tight shoulder/head/hip fakes, stride length to throw off defenders, & makes it all look the same for the most, making it harder for the DB to decode what’s coming. Will run & very good at Go’s, crossers/digs, screens, comebacks, out/up’s & even will snag the fade. Gets in/out of breaks & is very good at being at the right spot on time.

Big upside w/ stability & talent around him. Playmaker that will for right in w/ NFL caliber players.

Very good run blocker that shows discipline on assignment & effort throughout his block.

Well liked by teammates & highly spoken of by coaches.

Concerns

Can work outside some but doesn’t have long speed & won’t win running vertical. Will primarily be a slot weapon you move around.

Footwork is very good for the most part but could be quicker & have fewer wasted steps coming out of his break.

Capable of athletic jump ball but the pass has to be on target. Short arms don’t help w/ his catch radius.

Summary

Moore is a treat to watch. One way you judge WR’S is how they perform when having a less than ideal QB situation & Moore certainly made his better. Catching passes from 8 while at Maryland! Moore is limited to an extent but has his best football ahead of him. It’s hard not to love his potential surrounded by quality players & w/ a real NFL QB. He might never be a #1 WR but he’ll be a great #2 weapon for a some team.

Traits That Translate

Here are some clips that show off Moore’s playmaking ability, toughness & versatile skill set.

One of the most entertaining players in this draft. Put him in the slot, on KR, PR.. could help bolster Raiders offense pic.twitter.com/nNuEN5WYFd

I actually agree with not drafting an OT, for several reasons.
i) Do you really think a rookie would be able to be a starter? I could only see McGlinchey having the potential for that, but if he does he won’t be available at 31.
ii) Assuming the Patriots bring back either Fleming or Waddle, which they probably need to just for consistency, they’ll have Cannon, Tobin, Garcia, and Fleming/Waddle. They could easily cut Tobin, of course, but if Garcia is cleared to participate he’ll need a roster spot (and reps) unless the Patriots already gave up on him. So if they draft an OT, that guy will be the immediate backup because Garcia won’t be able to play.

Let’s say we draft an OT in the first round. They are almost guaranteed a spot on the roster no matter how good/bad they do. That isn’t fair to Croston or Garcia because they could be the answer at LT themselves but they’re development would be hindered because we’d be forced to give this high draft pick playing time.

I think instead we should draft an LT on day 3. That’ll give Garcia and Croston a fair shot to compete and show if they are the answer themselves, while also bringing in new talent. In this situation, the Patriots would simply give a roster spot to whoever plays the best between the three. Obviously a first round OT could actually be good and better than Garcia/Croston, but I don’t think that sort of talent will be there at #31, so unless we trade up we will be getting a developmental OT no matter what.

A guy I really like on day 3 is Joseph Noteboom from TCU. Obviously the Pats have had success with TCU OT’s (Cannon) and Noteboom could be a beast with Dante Scarnecchia coaching him up. He’s supremely athletic, long, and is above average in strength for a guy thats so athletic (usually the athletic guys aren’t as strong). He’s also been graded out well by PFF for a while. I wouldn’t say he’s a raw player either, as he’s had a lot of starting experience and seems to have decent technique. His main flaw is consistency, but I think Scarnecchia could get with this guy and could help him become a great LT over time and a great backup OT/OG in the short term.

@ JH : First when the heck has the NFL been fair? As for Garcia he will have the same chance as any OT we might draft. He lost a year due to injury so? Is he 100%, will the condition reappear? And Croston will have the same chance of any other potential back up. Queston, how many LT drafted on the 3rd day stick? Can’t see your arguments holding much water, but that’s just me. Though Mike made a decent point.

I agree big shoes to fill however They can help out a LT with a TE and a RB If needed. They will get a serviceable one. The Obvious glaring needs on Defence for Edge rushers, OLB’s that can cover and ILB Depth Outweigh that IMO. Offence is not the Issue.

If took a CB early Mock with trade our 1st for a 2 and 4 rd pick going all in type with brady no qb drafted going with theory that most teams getting there QB way of this FA plus the draft. So wait until next draft while building rest team up for Brady as well as future QB the skills players have little bit experience to help the Young QB few years down the road

Earlier I told you that Bret Bielema was at USC Pro Day. Well apparently he had a busy day there.

Defensive lineman Rasheem Green spent most of the afternoon in a work-related session with the New England Patriots.

I keep telling you watch what the Patriots are doing not so much the players or even what is being said. In this case another large DE player. They have privately worked/scouted/interviewed well over a dozen big DE’s so far. This is one position they are putting in a lot of time and energy into even after picking up DE Adrian Clayborn.

Now before you say well his QB was trash then why were all the other WR RB TE that had at least 10 targets able to have a higher catch rate in 2016 than Moore. Yes he had the lowest catch rate in 2016 and even though he improved in 2017 he still finished under a 60% catch rate.

Secondly above it mentions Moore doing KR and PR but what it doesn’t mention is that he wasn’t that good at it. For example he had a total of 15 Punt Returns for 153 yards an average of 10.2 yards.

Thirdly he has to protect the ball better. He has a tendency to fumble the ball especially as a runner. In 2016 and 2017 he fumbled 2 times on 16 carries running the ball.

Fourth is his fit with the Patriots. The Patriots have an extensive play book and DJ Moore was very limited in what he ran. Not saying he won’t be able to pick it up but it may take more than one season to do it and if you are looking for him to contribute right away meaning a 1st or 2nd rounder then it is best to find someone who has run a similar system and is ready to contribute right away or someone later in the draft that has similar traits athleticism.

One I didn’t say he was terrible.
Two He is a college player not a pro. Your comparing apples to oranges. I can’t speak about the NFL in general I just know what the Pats Punt Returners Average each year

One I didn’t say you said anything, read it again i said its not terrible. Two NFL record for career punt return average is around 13 yards. Yes he is in college, I’m comparing two different types of oranges.

1st – Sam Hubbard DE Ohio State (4-3 DE but can also play at linebacker – reminds me a lot of Ninkovich and Vrabel)

2nd – Lorenzo Carter LB Georgia (Athletic LB that can rush the passer, drop in coverage vs. tight ends and running and play vs. the run)

2nd – Orlando Brown OT Oklahoma (Could be a steal if he falls to this point in the draft. Was projected to be 1st round pick but had a terrible combine. Turn on the tape and you can see the talent)

3rd – Nyheim Hines RB N.C. State (Explosive back who can run and catch
the ball- could possibly take over Dion Lewis role in time- BB was at his pro day scouting him)

4th – Kyle Lauletta QB Richmond (Developmental QB with great intangibles. Looked great at the Senior Bowl- could be the heir to Brady in 3-4 years when Brady hangs them up)

6th – Darell Williams LSU RB (Between the tackles thumping runner-overshadowed @ LSU by Guice- probably a good idea to select a few RB since it’s been awhile and I don’t think Gilleslee or Hill who is on a 1 year deal is the answer)

7th – Braxton Berrios WR Miami (Excellent slot receiver and worth a flier on late in the draft

I don’t see the Patriots take a WR that early, really only late in the draft (CANTRELL!!!), but maybe if they trade down and he’s still there in the third round or so. The slow three-cone and his underwhelming verticality as a receiver worry me a bit, and stiff hips with quick feet is quite an odd combination. But he should be good against press coverage and it sounds like he could be a force in the screen game and on similar short passes. I hope he gets to play for a smart coach.

I agree with Cantrell. I would love to see him be a pick. He was used all over the place kind of does it all. He is one of the ones I tried posting a breakdown on several times but this site didn’t accept it. I will have to attempt him again and see what happens.

Not sure Moore is a round one guy; he doesn’t match the skillsets of successful round one guys I’ve seen in past years. If he goes that high, it’ll be due to a dearth of high-end players at his position- in a draft with an average WR class, he’d probably go in the middle of day 2. For reference, I would only rate four WRs as first-round prospects this year: Courtland Sutton, Calvin Ridley, James Washington, and DJ Chark.

However, if you want a very interesting physical/athletic comp, check out DJ Moore vs. Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey has longer arms and a few inches on Moore in the jumps, but besides that they’re practically identical.

There are several players that will be talked about but there is one that is being almost totally forgotten that I am interested in seeing and that is LB Bobby Okereke. While researching other Stanford players I kept reading from several different draft analyst’s and such things like I was watching player so and so but kept seeing Okereke make play after play. When you here it from one or two people it may initially catch your attention but when you hear it from 5+ then it really catches your attention.

His teammates think highly of him as well. Following up the statement from the above clip where it said he was an absolute terror. Harrison Phillips said this “This is about to be a weekly routine for the BobbyOkereke”

For the season he was listed at 6’3″ 234 lbs He made 96 Total tackles 48 Solo Tackles 7.5 TFL’s 4 Sacks 4 QBH’s 1 Int 1 PBU and 1 FF.

I see CBS Boston is predicting Pat’s take an OT with #31 All but one of their predictors went that way. Three names thrown out were O’Connor, McGlucehy and Miller. Okay I’ll take one of those at #31, anybody else?

Read it again Kevan I didn’t say players I said position. So it doesn’t matter if they didn’t scout so and so player did they scout that position and in that example you provided yes they did scout that position heavily that year just not that specific player

This Mock to help Brady plus the Next QB. our DT’s Brown Shelton one gonna leave soon so best get one with Huge upside who can rush. Love this draft for Pats when comes to type WR they like plus the value for type RB they like no need to reach IMO nice depth. Also heard can find good RB’s as UDFA as well with being so deep

1st:Tim Settle Int DT lined up all over at VT
2nd:Tyrell Crosby OL
2nd:Dorance Armstrong OLB can rush drop back has good to great contact balance
3rd James Looney DL-DE good in space nice with his hands to rush QB under valued player
3rd: Trequin Smith WR play bigger than size good deep threat fights for ball
4th:DJ reed cb-FS has all the skills want can cover plus tackle only short.
5th Trey Quinn WR Sticky hands route runner
6thPhillip Lindsay RB hyper type can rush good Vision catch pass protect plus play ST one fav players for Pats
7th:Woodside QB

This is your 2nd mock taking (reaching) for DT Looney. I personally don’t like his skill set and if I did I wouldn’t take him higher then a 5th, if we had a fifth. Even then there would be better value there. Obviously not seeing what your seeing. Doesn’t look strong vs the run, doesn’t look like he could set an edge if moved outside, and there are far better rushers in this draft.

Well I got rushing Help with Settle plus Armstrong. Looney good in space good cutting down the runs on the outside able tackle out of his area. His Hands are above average which most players are not coming out of college nowadays like Mcginnest said during the combine

Yea, Settle and Armstrong are good but you could get Looney later or even better get a player like Sweat or Haynes for out in space. Both these guys have good size and speed can rush and cover. Better overall value I think?

Nice player doubt Pats take him at 31 though. If there in the 3rd rd for sure take him I’m in the camp where CB or WR taken no earlier than the 3rd rd to much Depth in route running WR types in this draft. Which a great thing for the Pats.